The present invention relates to a secondary ion mass spectrometry system and particularly to such a system providing enhanced analysis capability.
Secondary ion mass spectrometry, commonly known as SIMS, analyzes a sample by bombarding the sample with a primary ion beam. Such primary ion beam bombardment results in the production of secondary ions characteristic of the bombarded sample, the primary bombarding ions, and gases present in the vicinity of the sample. The production of secondary ions by the aforementioned method tends to be rather low under ordinary circumstances. It is known the yield of secondary ions can be increased by exposure of the sample undergoing analysis to particular gases which are usually admitted to the vicinity of the sample by external tubing. For instance, an increase in secondary ion yield is known to occur in the presence of oxygen, or in the presence cesium vapor. The provision of plumbing for admitting the secondary ion enhancement gas, in addition to whatever other gases may be employed in an ion beam system, can result in an apparatus more complicated than desired. Moreover, it would be of advantage to be able to undertake analysis in a substantially closed system without external gaseous input.